


Of All The Planets In All The Galaxies, He Walked Into Mine.

by supercalvin



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Space, Fluff, Language Barrier, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-18
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-08-31 18:47:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8589631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supercalvin/pseuds/supercalvin
Summary: On Camelot, the base planet of the Albion Intergalactic Alliance, the people have a unique gift where the name of their soulmate appears on their arm. Finding one’s soulmate could be as easy as taking a shuttle over to the next planet or it could take years for destiny to find its way to their side of the galaxy. Ten years ago, Ambassador Arthur Pendragon found out the name on his arm wasn’t from any known language in the galaxy. He hadn’t had much faith in love ever since.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. Yes another soulmate au. Surprised? I'm not.  
> Title inspired by Casablanca.

***

_ AIA Headquarters. Camelot Space Station. _

***

“What do you mean it isn’t a language?” Arthur stood up so quickly he knocked his chair over. “In all the planets in the galaxy, this has to be a language on one!”

Gaius sighed, “Arthur, please calm down.”

“No! What do you mean!” Arthur shouted. Normally he wouldn’t raise his voice at Gaius, but this wasn’t how he wanted this meeting to go. Arthur had been waiting years for his soulmate’s name to appear across his forearm, and now Gaius couldn’t even read the name. “You just need to do more research!”

Gaius’ old blue eyes looked up at him, and Arthur could see his own desperation reflected in the pitying gaze. “Arthur, I’ve been researching all week.”

Arthur pressed his palms to Gaius’ desk and hung his head as he tried to breathe. Gaius was the best linguist in the Albion Intergalactic Alliance. He had been working on alien languages for decades upon decades. If he hadn’t found the language to match the black ink sprawled across Arthur’s arm, then it wasn’t a known language in the galaxy.

“I’m sorry, Arthur.” Gaius’ voice was soft and it made Arthur wince.

Arthur was nineteen and his soulmate’s name had only appeared on his arm a week ago. Most soulmarks appeared by fifteen, maybe even fourteen, and although nineteen wasn’t the oldest known account of a soulmark appearing, Arthur had started to believe he didn’t have a soulmate at all.

He had woken up in the dead of night to a tingling sensation on his arm. At first he had just itched at it, half asleep and half awake. But as he opened his eyes to the light of Camelot’s twin moons, he saw the ink curl under his skin as it formed his soulmate’s name. His heart had picked up pace as if he had just dropped into zero-gravity on his first field trip to space.  He had yanked back his sheets and shouted for the lights to turn on, the automatic lights flickering dimly, revealing his soulmark.

At first he thought the script was odd, but then he realized it wasn’t in any of Camelot’s languages. He had thought it might have been Essetirian, the common tongue on Camelot’s neighboring planet, but the script was all off. He hadn’t slept the rest of the night, instead researching on his holopad until sunrise. When he had failed to find the language he had taken the first space shuttle to Camelot’s Space Station and burst into Gaius’ office at the AIA headquarters.

The old mad had been delighted to help Arthur and had promised he would find the language for Arthur. Or at least, he had thought he would be able to find it.

“This can’t be happening.” Arthur slumped.

Gaius came around his desk and picked up Arthur’s chair and guided him to sit down.

“I’m sorry, my boy.” He said with a gentle hand on Arthur’s shoulder. “It’s not entirely unheard of, but I’m afraid it is very rare to not know the language.”

Arthur covered his face with his hands. “I wanted…”

What he had wanted was his soulmate. He had been so excited. He was almost embarrassed at how happy he had been to know his soulmate’s name. What was their mother-tongue? Where was their home? If the name revealed it, what was their gender? Was the script read from left to right? Or read downwards? How did they write their name? Was the lettering on Arthur’s arm a kind of cursive or was it just the printed lettering?

He had wanted answers and all week he had been daydreaming about what Gaius would find. It had never crossed his mind that Gaius was taking a very long time to analyze Arthur’s soulmark. Arthur had been on a high of excitement that he had blinded himself from any negative possibilities. In hindsight, he never should have gotten his hopes up.

“Whoever they are, they’re out there, Arthur.” Gaius said, gesturing to his window which looked out into the depths of space, “Don’t worry.”

Arthur looked up Gaius, anger swelling in his chest, “Gaius, I think you more than anyone else knows that there are over a hundred languages on any given planet. Even if I knew the alien language finding them would have been hard enough.” And only a few hours before Arthur had thought it would be an adventure to find them. But that was when he had a place to start looking.

Gaius patted Arthur’s back, “Go home, Arthur. I know you have uni exams to worry about. All hope isn’t lost. Destiny will find its way to this part of the galaxy.” Gaius repeated the common Camelot phrase.

Arthur huffed, picking up his bag and heading for the door. He was tempted to leave without a word, but even now he knew it wasn’t Gaius’ fault. He stopped at the door and said, “Thank you anyways, Gaius.”

“Of course. Safe trip, Arthur.”

Arthur left on the next space shuttle back to Camelot’s surface.

***

_ Ten Years Later. _

***

The Space Port was as busy as usual. To one side there was a huge open area where the spaceships slid into their docks, with dozens of workers scurrying around the ship as it came into port. To the other was the unloading docks where space shuttles from Camelot’s surface deposited visitors, where business people parked their small craft and headed off to work, and where foreign spaceships docked and the dignitaries greeted each other.

Ambassador Arthur Pendragon adjusted his AIA uniform blazer, buttoning up the label so that it fell diagonally across his chest, and checked the time on his watch just as the NS Hunter docked into port.

The first to step down was the array of officials and assistants, but Arthur waited until he saw Nemeth’s Ambassador to greet the party.

Ambassador Mithian Rodorian stepped up to Arthur, her face serious and formal.

“Welcome Ambassador.” Arthur’s voice was solid and formal as he spoke. He held out his hand and Nemeth’s Ambassador took it in a sturdy grip. “I speak for Camelot and our allies, and we are proud to welcome Nemeth to Albion Intergalactic Alliance’s headquarters.”

“Thank you, Ambassador Pendragon. We are happy to be here with you.”

With the formalities over, Mithian gave Arthur a friendly smile, her eyes lighting with mirth. “It’s nice to see you Arthur.”

“Likewise.” Arthur smiled, “I missed your company, Mithian.”

Nemeth was one of the newest planets incorporated into Albion Intergalactic Alliance. Arthur had met Mithian six months ago when he travelled to Nemeth to formally integrate Nemeth into the AIA. Over the delegations, Mithian’s friendship had been Arthur’s only solace from his work. As one of Camelot’s Ambassadors, Arthur lived and breathed his work with barely time for pause. He was lucky to catch a weekly drink with Leon, the Camelot Knights’ representative. And of the twenty other Camelot Ambassadors, only Annis Caerleon believed he was competent for the job. Meeting Ambassador Mithian Rodorian had been a breath of fresh air.

Speaking in Camelot’s designated common language she spoke with just a hint of an accent, “I’m happy to be back at Camelot. Perhaps if we have time you can take me to Camelot’s surface for some traditional Camelot horse-riding.”

Arthur laughed and promised. “Of course, just like you made me sail the waves on Nemeth’s oceans. And then saved me from the swimming setmunts. I’m lucky to be alive.”

She made a mocking face, “Probably.”

Arthur turned and held out his hand, gesturing for her to follow in step with him. They walked down the halls of the Space Station with the Nemeth party dispersing for the evening.

“You are free for the evening?” Arthur asked, turning down a hall with long windows that viewed into space. Occasionally one could see a craft zip by. “You promised to regale me with your love affair with the Princess of Gawant over some of Nemeth’s best wine.”

She was smiling as she slapped his arm, “Shush, you fool.”

“Is that a yes, my friend?” He tagged on the affectionate name in Nemeth’s common tongue.

She pretended to be put upon as she sighed. “Only if we dine in your rooms. You have the best view of Camelot on the entire Space Station.”

“But of course.” Arthur said as he led them down another hall towards his rooms.

In Arthur’s room Mithian poured a glass of purple wine which smelled like traditional Camelot wine but tasted like fresh winter berries. Except for the door leading to Arthur’s bedroom, his apartment was one open space. To one side was the living area, with a low table and round cushions where Arthur usually ate his dinners. To the other side was Arthur’s kitchen with a large floor to ceiling window which gave a view of Camelot, slowly rotating on its axis as the station continued its orbit.

Now, Mithian sat at Arthur’s kitchen counter as Arthur prepared dinner. Arthur cooked and Mithian talked, telling him stories about Elena, Princess of Gawant, and how she had snuck into her rooms during a royal visit to Nemeth. As a princess, Elena had rules to follow but if Arthur knew Mithian at all, she wouldn’t follow those rules if she thought they were worth breaking.

When they sat down to eat dinner and watch Camelot as the space station flew by, Mithian pointed to Arthur’s shelves, which held the holochips for his holopad. There were a wide variety, from didactic guides on different cultures and planets to recreational games and novels.

“Not to be rude, my friend,” Mithian said with a lighthearted smile, “But you’re language skills are only average. So why do you have so many linguistic holochips?” She pointed a certain shelf that was crammed with holochips, all labeled with different languages and alphabets.

“It’s an interesting topic.” Arthur shrugged it off. “The head of AIA’s linguistic department, Gaius, is an old friend, so it's always been of interest to me.”

Mithian hummed and Arthur tried not to let his nerves show. Ten years ago he hadn’t cared at all for linguistics. Camelot’s common tongue was his mother-tongue, he knew basic phrases in a few other Camelot languages, and he could speak passable Essetirian. But he had never been a great linguist. He was lucky he had been able to learn Nemeth’s language as easily as he had. In contrast, Mithian was a talented linguist, with more than five languages under her belt.

Arthur's only reason for his interest in languages was a personal one.

“As an Ambassador I try and learn various phrases and things about many of our planetary allies.” Arthur said diplomatically.

“Of course, the people of Camelot are great linguists. They must find and learn their soulmate’s language, yes? Is that why you’re interested?”

Arthur spluttered and although the wine tasted good it did not sit well when snorted up his nose.

“I’m sorry I did not mean to offend.” Mithian said quickly giving Arthur a cloth to wipe his face of the purple liquid.

“You didn’t offend.” Arthur reassured. With different customs and languages between the AIA, offensive was bound to happen but Arthur wasn’t offended by Mithian’s comment. Although it was usually seen as impolite to bring up another person’s soulmark, it did not matter if they were friends. Arthur cleared his throat, “Its fine. I just wasn’t expecting- Of course you know of our people’s soulmarks, but I was surprised to hear you mention it.”

“It is a phenomenon many planets love to hear about. Some romanticize the connection to their true-ones. The people of Nemeth have nothing like it. Nor on any other planet I’ve heard of.” Mithian’s eyes were surprisingly bright. She never seemed like the romantic type, usually very principled and pragmatic, but Arthur supposed he was the same way when it came to romantic affairs. Or at least he had been.

Arthur cleared his throat. “Yes, so I’ve been told. Many people find our soulmarks interesting.”

Mithian raised a brow. “You look like I insulted you. I did not mean to.”

Arthur ran a hand over his face, “I’m sorry Mithian. Any other person of Camelot would love to discuss this topic with you. I’m afraid I’m just...disenchanted, when it comes to soulmarks.”

“It’s personal, isn’t it?” She touched his elbow, “Come now, we are friends. We speak of things that others do not.”

He smiled at her turn of phrase. Translations of idioms were always odd, even with years of study.

He set down his wine on the table and unbuttoned the cuff on his left wrist. Then he rolled up the sleeve and showed the inky black script which had plagued Arthur for ten years. The letters were thick, curved, and Arthur had studied them over and over again. He could write this one word down without even looking. He could write it backward. Upside down. But he could not read it or even begin to understand what it said.

Mithian touched his arm, fingers running over the black mark on his skin and pinching his skin to see if it was raised or below the surface. She had obviously never seen a Camelot Soulmark before.

“Do you know them?” She asked. “What’s their name?”

Arthur gave her a pained smile and a look of realization dawned on her. “You don’t know?”

“It’s an unknown language.” Arthur said. “I’ve studied every language in the galaxy. Or at least it feels like that sometimes. Whoever they are, I don’t know their language, let alone their name.”

“Oh, my friend.” She said, her hand wrapping around his wrist. “I’m sorry. This is like one of the tragic tales in the romance novels about Camelot Soulmarks.”

Arthur couldn’t help but laugh. “The people of Camelot put almost too much emphasis on soulmarks, but I’ve learned to live with it. I’ve had girlfriends and boyfriends. But every once and awhile I search through linguistic holochips, looking for a new language which will match this.” He gestured to the script.

Mithian’s lips were turned in a frown. “I had hoped you would tell me a tale of how you searched through dozens of languages or went on many dates with people with the same name.”

“No, unfortunately not.” Arthur gave a weak smile. “But I’m a rare case. A lot of people find their soulmates easily. My older sister and her partner Gwen were like that. They were sixteen when their names appeared on each other’s arms.”

Mithian smiled, “It’s sweet.”

“That it is.” Arthur shrugged.

“You’re jealous.” Mithian pointed out.

“Of course I am.” Arthur said without shame. “I dreamt of finding my soulmate ever since my sister found hers. And then this appeared. Maybe I’ll never find them.”

He had had to cope with that. When he was in his last years of education, when it became clear that he might not find his soulmate, he had to talk it out with someone. Gaius was a help, but he also had to talk to someone who specialized in soulmark issues. Arthur had even gone to a support group. Some people had lost their arms before the name appeared and others didn’t have soulmarks. Others had a name that was so common they met people with their soulmark’s name weekly. None of them had Arthur’s problem.

“Perhaps…” Mithian pulled out her personal holopad and held out Arthur’s wrist, scanning it.

“What are you-?”

“Copying it. When I go back to Nemeth I’ll give it to one of our linguists. The more working, the more information found, yes?”

Arthur gave her a smile, and he must have looked either too happy or too pathetic because she pulled him into a hug. “As you say on Camelot, it is what friends do.”

“You’re perfect, Mithian.  I’m not even sure the Princess of Gawant deserves you.”

Mithian winked, “Oh she does.”

***

The next morning the rest of the AIA planets arrived for the delegations. Essetir, Gawant, Mercia, and the rest. The last representatives to arrive were from Avalon.

Avalon was a planet on the edges of the galaxy, so far off that only in the last year had anyone from the AIA ever heard of it. An explorer from Essetir had been the first from the alliance to land on Avalon to introduce themselves. AIA headquarters was flooded with excitement when Avalon sent representatives and translators to the nearest Albion base for discussion on joining the alliance. Arthur himself had felt a twinge of anxiety when he heard about the newly discovered planet. His first task should have been discussing negotiation plans with his fellow ambassadors, but instead he went to the translators and asked for Avalon’s language holochip. It hadn’t matched Arthur’s soulmark. The anxiety had loosened and Arthur was left with the same dull ache.

Arthur and the other Ambassadors from all the AIA planets were standing in the Space Port when the AS Courage docked.

Ambassador Annis Caerleon was the one to address the representatives walking towards them. “Welcome Ambassador Kilgharrah and Ambassador Merlin Emrys, Camelot and the ambassadors of the Albion Intergalactic Alliance are pleased you could join us.”

The man on the left was tall and broad, almost a foot taller than Arthur. He was grizzled and his face stern, as he answered “Thank you, Ambassador Caerleon. We are pleased to be here.”

The man on the right was as tall as Arthur, slim and wiry. When he spoke he was earnest, but there was a small lift to the corners of his mouth, as if on the verge of a grin. “Thank you for welcoming us, Ambassador.”

Delegations with the planets of AIA and especially with Avalon would take a few months. AIA headquarters would be busy and Arthur was certain that he would be spending a lot of time at the office. He conceded that at least Mithian was here, so he didn’t have to schedule calls with her across the galaxy.

Nonetheless, the next few months would be exciting, starting with a welcome dinner thrown in Avalon’s honor. There would be foods from all across the galaxy and entertainment especially from Camelot. It would be the fun before the weeks upon weeks of discussion and legal matters of incorporating a new planet into the alliance.

The welcome dinner was held in Camelot’s Space Station’s grand ballroom. The large room had grand high ceilings and delicate chandeliers. Depending on the time of day, the large windows displayed either one of Camelot’s moon reflecting against the blackness of space, one with its pale blue surface and the other with its rusty red surface.

Dressed formally in his black suit, Arthur arrived to the welcome dinner with Mithian, who had donned a cream colored dress. She looked stunning and Arthur had to hold back a grin when the Princess of Gawant caught sight of her, and promptly spilled her drink.

“I think you have an admirer.” Arthur whispered to his friend.

“Well I hope so. We are dating after all.” Mithian said with a sly grin.

After a short welcome speech, they sat down to dinner and everyone began to socialize. Languages from all over the galaxy echoed against the ballroom walls.

Everyone was at their finest, but no one was as impressive as the Avalon ambassadors. Kilgharrah seemed to fill the entire room with his broad shoulders and booming voice. Although Arthur was certain the man was reciting enlightening phrases, the translations just made him seem vaguely philosophical. Not that it mattered, since many of the older ambassadors were fascinated by what he had to say. Or perhaps what he hadn’t said?

But of the two delegates, Arthur had to admit that Ambassador Emrys was the more entrancing.

Merlin was all smiles as he laughed and chatted with everyone. Arthur could easily see why he had been chosen to be Avalon’s ambassador. In less than an hour, Emrys had managed to befriend everyone who sat near him, discussing Avalon and asking about their home planets. He even managed to impress many of the delegates by speaking briefly in their mother-tongue. Arthur could tell that a few of the older Ambassadors saw him as a young troublemaker, but by the end of the dinner he had charmed the entire room.

Arthur was not excluded from Ambassador Emrys’ charms either. Merlin was ethereal. He was slim and tall, but his shoulders broad and his eyes crinkled like he was in the middle of teasing.  The situation was made even worse, or better depending on one’s point of view, when Merlin slid into the seat next to Arthur.

“Hello” he held out his hand. “I’m Merlin.”

Arthur almost had to laugh. As if they were meeting in the street, and not in at the AIA welcome dinner.

“So I heard.” Arthur said while taking Merlin’s hand. “I’m Camelot Ambassador Arthur Pendragon.”

“Oh I know who you are.” Merlin’s eyes crinkled. He said with a thick accent, but Arthur was impressed that he had learned to speak AIA’s common language just within a year. “I have a confession to make, Ambassador Pendragon. When Kilgharrah and I were arranging our trip to Camelot, I hadn’t a clue what would be formal attire for Camelot’s people. So I looked through all the news holochips on you. Since we are close in age and height, I figured styles would be similar.” Merlin gestured down to his suit, “It’s very Camelot, yes?”

Arthur looked down to Merlin’s suit which was indeed in the Camelot fashion. It was navy blue with diagonal labels that revealed a red lining. It fit tightly to his slim figure, although Arthur did not think that was necessary to point out.

“The Camelot style flatters you, Ambassador.” Arthur then added, “Although I’m not sure I was the best model to help you.”

“Ah, but you see, I wanted to get in your good graces. Soon the two of us will be negotiating terms of alliance.”

“Along with all the other delegates, yes.” Arthur pointed out.

Merlin waved a hand, as if they didn’t bother him. “Of course, but you are obviously influential here.”

Arthur didn’t think it was obvious. He had worked hard just to be taken seriously. Some AIA officials still thought he had made it to his position because of his father’s influence on Camelot’s surface and others thought he was here for a laugh. Of course those who knew him best knew that he dedicated all he had to peace.

Merlin seemed to see straight through it all. “You’re devoted. I admire that.”

Arthur wished his heart would stop beating so quickly. Merlin’s blue eyes reflected against the crystal lighting in the ballroom and Arthur couldn’t help but be attracted to him. He was charming, yet he seemed genuine at the same time. Arthur wished, not for the first time, that his love life was simple. Falling for someone was a dangerous business.

“I’m afraid you have an advantage over me, Ambassador Emrys.” Arthur gave Merlin a charming smile, “You know far more about me than I know about you. Besides the fact that you appeared to have charmed half the AIA in a single night.”

“Was that not the point of the evening?” Merlin’s expression was so innocent it almost looked like he was honestly asking if the welcome dinner was for seducing intergalactic ambassadors.

“I suppose it is.” Arthur laughed.

“Ambassador Emrys.”

Arthur looked up to see the giant of a man, Ambassador Kilgharrah, towering over them.

“Kilgharrah,” Merlin greeted him with a smile, “How was your chat with Ambassador Caerleon?”

“She is quite fierce.” Kilgharrah said.

Arthur had to hold back a laugh, because Annis was indeed a fierce individual, but coming from the giant Ambassador, it was much funnier.

“That was a compliment.” Merlin whispered to Arthur, before turning to Kilgharrah. “Am I needed somewhere?”

“The evening is not yet done.” Kilgharrah said, adding on something in the Avalon language. Arthur couldn't translate it since he could barely recite their customary greetings, let alone understand it.

“Of course.” Merlin stood from his seat and Arthur rose as well. “It was nice speaking with you, Arthur. I hope to see you again soon.”

“Likewise, Ambassador Emrys.”

As they shook hands the other ambassador leaned in a said, “Please, call me Merlin.”

“Merlin.” Arthur said, trying the name out on his lips. “Another time.”

Merlin nodded, almost like a bow, and then followed Kilgharrah into the sea of people.

***

Luckily for Arthur, he would see a lot of Merlin during the delegations.

Initially Arthur had believed Ambassador Kilgharrah would be the leader of Avalon’s delegations, but Merlin proved to be the one to spearhead the alliance. Arthur watched him with fascination as he discussed Avalon, its cultures and its international conflicts. Although Merlin had only had a year’s study of AIA and its language, he was discussing the alliance’s treaties like an old hand. He listened as Merlin negotiated even the most steadfast Merician ambassador’s to his side. To say the least, Arthur was impressed with Ambassador Merlin Emrys.

Arthur must not have been the other one fascinated either. Mithian and Elena invited Merlin over to their weekly social dinners. Arthur watched as Merlin asked Leon question after question about the Camelot Knights, who had apparently become infamous on Avalon for being strong warriors. Arthur listened carefully as Merlin explained the magic of Avalon and then demonstrated a simple spell to Elena. Although magic was common on other planets, it was unheard of on Camelot. Because Arthur had grown up on Camelot and had rarely seen magic up close, Arthur had to hold his tongue before he asked Merlin too many prodding questions. He need not have worried though because it turned out that Merlin loved to talk, and spoke constantly about his home nation on Avalon.

“I’m from Ealdor. My people, the Druids, are known for having elemental magic.” Merlin explained after showing them a spell which pulled water from the vapor in the air. “I’ve studied different magic on Avalon and I’ve been trying to learn more about it on the AIA planets.”

Elena smiled, “I’ll have to introduce you to more magic users from Gawant. They would love to meet you, Merlin.”

Merlin was welcomed almost immediately amongst Arthur’s group of friends in the AIA. Even Gaius had taken a strong liking to him, since Merlin seemed to take to any language like a fish to water. Every time Arthur had to go to Gaius’ office, half the time he would find Merlin listening to Gaius lecture on about the different languages and alphabets. Sometimes he would pull Arthur into the conversation, and although Arthur usually understood and could discuss them with Merlin, he tended to excuse himself from the conversation. It was better left to the experts.

To say the least, in the weeks that Merlin had lived at AIA headquarters, he had integrated himself perfectly into AIA life. He visited Arthur at his office, and at first it had been for official business but topics drifted and their conversation lingered. Soon enough Arthur was offering to cook Merlin a traditional Camelot dinner in his apartment and inviting him down to Camelot’s surface for a camping trip with the rest of his friends. 

In between all of this, somehow Merlin had slipped into Arthur’s affections. At first Arthur had tried to reason that he couldn’t indulge his affections for Merlin because they were in the middle of discussions for Avalon’s incorporation to AIA. But of course, no one truly cared about fraternization between delegates, which is why Mithian didn’t pretend to sneak around to see Elena in her rooms. But he told himself that was his reasoning anway, even if it was just a ruse for his own mind.

One late night, Arthur’s indulgences almost came to the surface.

Merlin had come to Arthur’s office late in the evening, asking an arbitrary question about Camelot, before sitting down in the chair across from Arthur’s desk and started talking about his day. Apparently Kilgharrah had gotten into an argument with another delegate and to Arthur’s amusement Merlin and another young ambassador had taken whispered bets on who would win the debate. It was such contradictory behavior, a great diplomat but also a quick minded troublemaker, which made Arthur like him all the more.

It was only when Arthur’s watch beeped, alerting him to the time, that he realized that he had stayed later in his office than he had planned. As Arthur packed up his suitcase, Merlin continued to chatter, and then followed him down the hall.

They walked down the halls of the space station, which were deserted now that everyone had settled into their rooms for the evening. For a moment, Merlin walked ahead of him, his fingers skimming along one of the space station’s entirely glass passageways which showed the depths of space from all angles. Merlin smiled up as a craft sped past far above their heads.

Arthur stepped up next to him and pointed to the edge of Camelot’s red moon. “You see the small speck on the edge of the largest crater?” Merlin leaned in to see better and nodded. “It’s a small station where school trips visit from Camelot.”

Merlin smiled, “Did you go there when you were younger?”

Arthur nodded, “I picked up a bright red moon rock and brought it home to one of my friends, Gwen.” Arthur smiled at the memory. “She scolded me so harshly for stealing from a moon reserve park, I’ll never forget.”

“Serves you right.” Merlin teased and bumped his shoulder into Arthur’s. “Did your friend accept the gift?”

“Of course. She still has it to this day.” The rock proudly stood on Gwen’s desk at her geo-lab amongst her other geographical findings.

“A good friend?” Merlin asked, and the question confused Arthur.

“She’s my sister’s wife.” Arthur clarified. Merlin seemed to relax, and Arthur realized why Merlin had wanted to know. Suddenly he wanted to pull away from Merlin, noticing that they had drifted into one another’s personal space. Instead Merlin leaned forward, his smile easy and his eyes bright.

“Arthur, I was wondering...” Merlin said, and Arthur’s heart seized up with anxiety. “Would you like to go back to my rooms? I still have that bottle of Camelot wine you gave me, and we could... talk some more.”

Arthur closed his eyes for a brief moment, because he knew that offer, and it was an offer he wanted so badly to accept. Merlin was still smiling, and his eyes were crinkled as if he were about to make a joke at Arthur’s expense. Or maybe he was about to smile that sweet and slow grin that made Arthur’s heart pick up pace.

Arthur looked away, “I have some reading to do in my rooms. Perhaps you can share the wine with someone else.”

Arthur saw out of the corner of his eye the way Merlin stiffened, probably with surprise. When he looked up again, Merlin’s eyes were no longer filled with mirth. He pulled back, obviously taking the rejection with pride. “I’d rather share it with you, since you gifted it to me. But maybe another time. If you wish.” He gave a small smile, though it was more polite than genuine, “I’ll see you at the delegations tomorrow. Goodnight, Arthur.”

“Goodnight, Merlin.” Arthur said.

Merlin turned and walked down the rest of the glass passageway. It made Arthur’s heart sink as he watched Merlin’s figure recede into the distance, framed by the windows of space until he exited through the darkened archway. Once out of sight, Arthur let out a sigh and leaned against the glass. He looked outside to the red rusty surface of Camelot’s twin moon. Then he turned and went on his way.

That night he would read every language holochip that he owned. He would stay up most of the night scanning his soulmark and trying to decipher it, as if it wasn’t something he had already tried hundreds of times over the last ten years. He ended up lying flat across his bed, his suit rumpled and his hair in disarray after running his hands through it too many times. Merlin’s disappointed expression kept flashing through his mind until he fell asleep in the early hours of the morning.

The next morning, when Mithian asked him why he looked dead on his feet, Arthur confided in her what had happened. He wasn’t all that surprised when she scolded him.

She simply asked one question, “Why?”

Arthur sighed, “Stars, of course you would ask that.”

“Arthur.” Mithian warned.

“I like him too much.” Arthur admitted. “I couldn’t bare it.”

“Does it matter if his name isn’t your mark?” Mithian asked.

“It will matter if I learn to read my mark.”

“If.”

“Mithian,” Arthur said testily.

“You lament to me that you might never know your soulmate’s name, yet you refuse to go after someone you obviously care for.”

“It’s complicated.”

“You complicate it.” She said sternly.

Arthur changed the topic, though he could see that she had more to say on the topic. Although Arthur didn’t think he could handle much more. The emotions swirled in his chest and the mark on his forearm itched like it constantly wanted Arthur to be aware of its presence.  Perhaps Arthur had saved Merlin and himself heartbreak. Or perhaps he had just made a huge mistake.

***

It had been at least a full month since Arthur had gone an entire day without seeing Merlin, but after the night before, Merlin had kept his distance. It was probably a good idea, but it made Arthur’s heart swell. The next time he saw Merlin, a few days later, they were in a crowded room with the AIA ambassadors. The next, they were never alone at one of Mithian’s dinners. It seemed that Merlin had taken Arthur’s rejection smoothly and was waiting for Arthur to reset the boundaries of their friendship. The distance only made Arthur even more regretful.

It didn’t take long for Arthur’s resolve to snap. It was a little over a week and an official mentioned Merlin’s return to Avalon in two months’ time. For the briefest moment, Merlin’s eyes had looked up to Arthur’s, before saying that he missed his home and looked forward to the return. But it had been that nanosecond of a look that had broken Arthur’s resolve. He didn’t want Merlin to leave thinking that Arthur didn’t care for him, and he especially didn’t want them to spend the next two months at this horrible distance from each other.

The last meeting of the day was dismissed just as the lights lowered across the space station to resemble night. The meeting hall was crowded with the dozens of ambassadors but Arthur’s eyes found Merlin easily. He navigated the leaving crowd, hoping that Merlin wouldn’t disappear after the meeting like he had for the past week.

Fortunately he found Merlin lingering in the reception hall, talking with Kilgharrah.

He greeted the two ambassadors, and did not miss the surprise that passed over Merlin’s face.

“May I have a word?” Arthur asked, looking briefly to Kilgharrah.

Merlin spoke to Kilgharrah in their mother-tongue and the only thing Arthur understood was ‘Kilgharrah.’

Kilgharrah nodded and didn’t seem miffed at having been interrupted. He gave Arthur a look before leaving them to themselves.

“How have you been?” Arthur asked, and internally winced at his rough start.

Merlin gave a small smile, “I was hoping for the meeting to end earlier. But then the Mercian ambassador stood up and I knew we would be here for ages.” Merlin continued on talking about the meeting, and about the AIA delegations. It took Arthur a moment to realize that Merlin was stuttering a bit, talking quickly which made his accent even thicker. It surprised Arthur to realize that Merlin was rambling because he was nervous. The idea seemed absurd to him. Merlin was usually so charming and all smiles.

“Merlin,” Arthur stopped his talking by pressing his hand to his arm.

Merlin stopped talking. He looked down to where Arthur’s hand was curled around his forearm.

“It seems to me like you need a night to relax. Perhaps…” Arthur watched Merlin’s wide eyed expression “Is your offer still open for sharing that bottle of wine?”

“Are you accepting?” Merlin asked.

“If I still can.” Arthur said.

Merlin’s lips twitched and then the smile broke out across his face. “Of course it is.” He took the hand Arthur had placed on his arm and pulled him down the corridor, “Come on.”

Arthur followed easily.

Merlin opened his guest rooms and made a grand gesture to the living space when Arthur entered. Unlike Arthur’s rooms they were smaller and the bed was in the same open area as the small kitchen and living area. Arthur noticed a tiny plant in Merlin’s kitchen window which faced the open space away from Camelot.

Merlin pulled out the bottle of wine, and it was like the week had never happened. They drank wine and lounged on the cushions beside the table in Merlin’s living area. Arthur told Merlin more about his childhood on Camelot’s surface. Merlin explained more about his home planet and managed to cast a spell which swirled the wine in Arthur’s glass.

They ended up lounging on the cushions with their backs against the wall, their heads leaning close together as they talked.

“Tell me something about your home. Not just Avalon.” Arthur clarified.

Merlin smiled. “In Ealdor, my mother owns a plant nursery. When I was little I used to play with my magic amongst the plants and she would scold me when I accidently made them grow. One tree grew so large we had trouble getting it out of the shop.”

Arthur smiled, “And how does a boy from a nursery shop become an ambassador?”

“Not easily.” Merlin looked up through his lashes at Arthur. They were so close together they barely needed to speak above a whisper. “I studied night and day to get into Avalon’s top university. And then I had to prove that I could represent Avalon despite being a Druid. Even then, it was only Kilgharrah who convinced the counsel that I was the best choice.”

“Despite being a Druid?” Arthur’s brows pulled together.

“Druids are not liked on Avalon.” By Merlin’s tone, it sounded like an understatement. “Elemental magic is powerful and although people respect basic magic, many people fear elemental.”

Before he knew what he was doing, Arthur’s hand rested on Merlin’s knee as he said, “Your magic is wonderful.”

Merlin’s smile was sweet and his eyes were soft as he looked at Arthur. “Thank you. I’m glad you think so.” Merlin’s hand rested over Arthur’s.

“Merlin” Arthur whispered right before he leaned in close and pressed a kiss to Merlin’s lips. Merlin hummed beneath his lips, pressing forward. They were both still holding their glasses, and Arthur had to pull away before he spilt wine all over Merlin’s floors.

“Oh, stars hold on” Merlin set down his and Arthur’s glasses, and then he took Arthur’s face in his hands and kissed him properly. Merlin muttered something in Avalon’s common tongue that he couldn’t understand, but he hummed in agreement anyways.

They kissed, pulling away to laugh in between, before diving back in and capturing each other’s lips. Merlin’s fingers were cool on his neck and Arthur couldn’t help but let his hands wander through Merlin’s thick hair.

Arthur pulled back, resting his forehead against Merlin’s.

Merlin said something that Arthur didn’t understand.

“What?” Arthur asked, brushing his knuckles over Merlin’s jaw.

“There’s no translation.” Merlin smiled. “It just means I’m happy. But a certain kind.”

Arthur pressed his lips to Merlin’s cheek. “I think I understand.”

Merlin pulled Arthur into another kiss, his hands running under Arthur’s shirt, pulling at the fabric and searching for Arthur’s skin. Arthur shivered when Merlin’s long fingers ran up his sides, feeling his shirt rise up his chest. Arthur saw Merlin’s mischievous grin and before he knew it, Merlin had pulled off Arthur’s shirt and Arthur himself was pushed down into the cushions.

Arthur huffed out in surprise and laughed when he saw Merlin’s victorious grin. “Oh you- Come here” He reached up and pulled Merlin down until he was flush against Arthur.

Merlin’s fingers laced with Arthur’s, and Arthur tightened his hold as he skimmed his lips along Merlin’s jaw. It wasn’t until Merlin’s hand slipped out of his own that he realized Merlin was distracted. Merlin tugged on Arthur’s arm and pressed a hand to Arthur’s chest so that he could sit up properly. Merlin pulled Arthur’s arm close to his face, and it took Arthur’s clouded mind to realize he was looking at Arthur’s soulmark.

Arthur flinched and pulled his arm away, tucking it close to his chest. He sat up awkwardly but it was hard to do so with Merlin in his lap.

“What is that.” Merlin said with wide eyes.

“It’s my soulmark.” Arthur said, protectively holding his forearm to himself.

“What?” Merlin said.

Arthur was surprised Merlin didn’t know what a Camelot Soulmark was. He had thought Merlin had done his research about every planet in the AIA. Arthur wasn’t prepared to explain, so he stuttered as he tried to speak, “It’s a soulmark. It’s a mark on the people of Camelot’s skin. It appears- I mean it’s the name of our soulmate-”

Merlin stopped him halfway and gestured to Arthur’s arm, “No, of course I know what a soulmark is! It’s one of the first things we learned about Camelot. But I thought you had lost your soulmate and that’s why you said no to me at first. But what is that?”

“What?” Arthur asked, looking down at his mark in confusion.

Merlin cursed in his own language, “Arthur, do you not want me? Is that what it is?”

“What? No!” Arthur said quickly, “Of course I want you. I said no to you because I can’t read my soulmark. I may never know who they are and that may make things difficult, but I’m willing to try-”

Merlin stopped him again. “Arthur,” He touched Arthur’s jaw, “That is my name.”

“What?” Arthur looked at him, staring until the words finally sunk in. Arthur’s felt his heart race in his chest, hope swelling until reality crashed down. “Merlin, this is not a joke to me.”

“I’m not joking!”

Arthur snapped at him, “The lettering isn’t in Avalon’s common tongue, I checked.”

Merlin’s smile softened, “You checked your soulmark for me?”

Arthur narrowed his eyes and Merlin held up his hands in surrender.

“I’m not joking. I wouldn’t do that to you. I know how important soulmarks are to the people of Camelot.” Merlin took Arthur’s hand and looked down at the mark inked across Arthur’s skin. “Avalon’s common tongue is not my mother-tongue, remember? I am a Druid.”

Arthur was stunned. He was frozen in place even as Merlin stood up to grab his holopad and stylus. He sat down next to Arthur and clicked it open quickly and wrote in perfect accuracy the mark on Arthur’s arm. In shock, Arthur stared down at the word on Merlin’s holopad.

“Again.” He demanded.

Merlin didn’t ask why, he just cleared the pad and rewrote the letters, this time slower. Arthur watched in fascination as he penned the first letter, flowing into the next, until he added in the smaller accents at the end. He underlined the word.

Merlin tapped on the first symbol, speaking its name, and then continuing down the line until he had spelled out his name. When he spoke his name in his own language, it sounded soft and Merlin’s lips moved around the word easily.

When Arthur didn’t say anything Merlin cleared out the pad and opened up what looked like a holochip textbook. “This is my Druidic text on elemental magic.” He scrolled through the text and although the lettering was in a printed style, it was the same lettering on Arthur’s arm.

“Is it cursive?” Arthur looked at his own arm, stunned that of all things to ask, that was his first question.

Merlin nodded, “It’s my signature. Actually, I’m embarrassed. The lettering on your soulmark is horribly messy. I’m sorry, I should have better penmanship.”

Arthur looked at Merlin’s shy expression. He didn’t have a clue what he was doing to Arthur.

“Better penmanship? Merlin, are you mad?” Arthur grabbed Merlin by his shirt and pulled him close, watching Merlin’s eyes widen. “Merlin, it’s you.  _ Stars _ , it’s you.” He kissed Merlin, trying to control his emotion and failing. He pulled on Merlin tightly and his lips pressed a little too harshly, but Merlin didn’t seem to mind. He gripped Arthur’s shoulders and kissed back with equal enthusiasm.

Arthur pulled back for a second, trying to regain control of his own emotions to think of Merlin’s own.  “I know that soulmarks are intimidating- and I would never presume-” It was a common reassurance for those who had soulmates from another planet, but the words slipped clumsily from Arthur’s lips. “I just want you to know that whatever- It’s up to you and- This isn’t binding-”

“Oh for the love of all the stars.  _ Arthur _ . Shut up and let me kiss you.” Merlin pulled Arthur into a kiss, his arms wrapping around Arthur’s neck. Arthur kissed him again, desperately wrapping his arms around Merlin’s back.

“Merlin- please.” Arthur tried to look up at Merlin, trying to convey how much his soulmark meant to him.

Merlin pulled away and brushed Arthur’s fringe out of his eyes. “I know. I do understand, Arthur, I do. My magic- the core of my being- knew right from the start how important you would be to me.” Merlin took Arthur’s arm in his hand, his finger skimming over the lettering. “But I never imagined that my name would be your soulmark.”

“I-” Arthur stuttered as he tried to think of what to say. “I never thought I would find you.”

Merlin cupped Arthur’s face reassuringly, “Here I am.” He smiled, and it made Arthur’s heart flip in his chest.

Arthur pulled Merlin down into a kiss, feeling the weight of his soulmate against him.

**Author's Note:**

> So I just wanted to put a twist on the Soulmate trope and also wanted to play around with the idea that 'hey, there are probably more than one language on an alien planet.' This was supposed to be a quick, written in a day little fic but it got a little longer *shrugs* Hope you enjoyed it :D Comments are always appreciated!


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